How to Raise Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are easy to grow in the kitchen garden. They have a tasty, nutty flavor and are best when they are young and fresh. Brussels sprouts are in the brassica family, which includes turnips and broccoli, and they look like tiny cabbage heads. Most are green but some varieties come in red and purple. Nutritionally, Brussels sprouts have lots of potassium, fiber, vitamins A and C.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Brussels Sprouts seeds

1. Prepare the garden bed for the Brussels sprouts. They prefer rich fertile, slightly alkaline soil enriched with compost. Make sure the ground is well settled after digging because the plants become heavy and light soil will not support them.

2. Buy the Brussels sprout seeds. The variety depends on need and personal preference. Oliver is early, Diablo is late season. Tasty Nugget Hybrid has a mild, sweet taste.

3. Sow the Brussels sprout seeds indoors in early to mid spring but plant them outside in early summer. Sow the seeds thinly in seed trays in potting soil, about ¾” deep.

4. Transplant the Brussels sprout seedlings 4 or 5 weeks after sowing. Consult the seed packet for the plant’s eventual size and space them between 18” and 24” apart. Don’t crowd them because they need light and air need to circulate.

5. Water the Brussels sprouts well for the first few weeks and then cut back. Stake the plants if they get unwieldy. In late summer give them some nitrogen rich fertilizer. Cut off dead or yellow leaves.

6. Brussels sprouts take about 5 months to be ready to harvest. Cut off sprouts on the lowermost branches first. They should be about 1-2 inches in diameter. If need be, cut the whole thing down put the stem into a bucket of water to keep it fresh until the sprouts can be used. Store smaller amounts of sprouts in a paper bag in the refrigerator.

Tips & Warnings

• The youngest leaves at the very top of the plant can be cooked and eaten as greens.
• Shovel a bit of soil up over the base of the plants when they begin to grow large. This will provide support and keep them from tipping over. Brussels sprouts have a shallow root system.
• Frost makes Brussels sprouts taste better.
• Brussels sprouts are susceptible to the same diseases as cabbage. Don’t plant them where members of the cabbage family were before.

Resources

• Brussels sprouts
• Brussels Sprouts seeds (Amazon)